It is wonderful to find God in a place or event. Indeed, it can be so good that we are tempted to stay put, to pickle the moment forever. Our God doesn’t work like that, though. If God is in all things, it makes sense that we cannot confine God to a particular experience or time or place.
In his earthly ministry, Jesus gave himself
wholeheartedly to people when he was with them. In that time and place, the person he was talking to or healing was the only other person in the world. When he had finished, though, he needed to be elsewhere. Once Jesus had risen, he could be everywhere at once. That isn’t our gift yet!
We can and should savour each moment. Still, we can’t endlessly relive it in some recurring loop. Christ is with us as we travel to the next experience
and stage of our lives. Sometimes, it can be comforting to stay within places where we know we have found God. This has its benefits, but eventually, novelty is sucked of its nourishment and becomes dull and bland. At that point, we should be able to let go and move to the next stage of the journey in trust and confidence that Jesus, who has loved us up to now, will keep doing so.
I review my life. Where have I found joy and
consolation? Do I still find it there? Are there areas of my life (job, prayer, leisure) that I need to revisit, where I am still acting out of experiences that no longer speak to me? Is Jesus calling me to new possibilities?
Reflections by Justin Glyn SJ
